Liquidity Preference

Categories: IPO, Trading, Investing

You like me. You really like me.

Well, liquidity is a good thing. And you do like it.

Being liquid means that you have cash, which gives you the option to buy stuff. And yeah, even the Amazon River shops at Amazon. So if your flavor of investment has a liquidity preference over someone else’s, then your investment, all else equal, is preferable.

Specifically, if you have liquidity preference (and usually, this is found in the form of early stage venture capital investors who are investing in companies in the form of convertible preferred stock), then you get paid before others get paid if the company is sold.

That is, if the company is sold, and your convertible preferred hasn’t converted into common shares yet. So like, if the company had raised 12 million bucks in preferred stock, which all had a liquidity preference over common, and then the whole company was sold for 15 million...then those with liquidity preference would get liquid first, i.e. they’d get their 12 mil first, then the remaining 3 mil would be sprinkled around to everyone else who is…due the dough.

So when it comes down to it, you want to have liquidity preference. You...prefer it.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is liquidity preference?27 Views

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finance a la shmoop. what is liquidity preference?

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yeah well liquidity is a good thing you want it. being liquid means that you have

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cash which gives you options to you know buy stuff. and yeah even the Amazon River [money leaves a wallet in the grocery store]

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shops at Amazon. all right so if your flavor of

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investment has a liquidity preference over someone else's then your investment

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all else being equal is preferable. see the liquidity preference . specifically if

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you have liquidity preference and usually this is found in the form of

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early stage of venture capital investor term sheets for investing in companies

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in the form of convertible preferred stock- like it converts into common at

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the IPO or something like that- then you get paid before everyone else

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gets paid -at least in this form of stock- if the company gets sold.

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all right well technically that is, but the company is sold and your convertible

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preferred hasn't converted into common shares yet this company didn't go public. [convertible stock made into common stock]

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but so like let's think about the example where if the company raised

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twelve million bucks in preferred stock, which all had a liquidity preference

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over and above common ,and then the whole company was sold for just fifteen

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million dollars. well then those with liquidity preference would get liquid

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first .ie they get their twelve million bucks. then the remaining three million

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would be sprinkled around everyone else who was do the dough. plus any dividends

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or accrued assets that have come our way otherwise. and yes technically debt

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holders get paid ahead of the various series preferred investors who then get [list of who gets paid first]

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paid ahead of the common shareholder but that's a different video. all right so

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when it comes down to it you want to have liquidity preference. clearly I

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prefer to be liquid myself. [man floats in lake in an inner tube]

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